


UNREQUITED LOVE

by Smydjnjn



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Fanfiction, Lee Jeno & Na Jaemin Are Best Friends, Lee Jeno is Whipped, M/M, Mentioned Huang Ren Jun, Mentioned Lee Jeno, Mentioned Na Jaemin, My First AO3 Post, Sad Ending, Sad Na Jaemin, Short One Shot, Teen Angst, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:16:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24556789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smydjnjn/pseuds/Smydjnjn
Summary: Jaemin is in a one sided love with his best friend, Lee Jeno. The three letter words remain unsaid, and at the end of the day it will just be an unrequited love that stays unrequited.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Kudos: 27





	UNREQUITED LOVE

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This would be my first work here so feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!

Here he is, all alone, waiting for something that would never come. What is it? Well, it’s something called “love”.

Love could be the most beautiful thing and it could be the most agonising for some. Well, what could be the sad part of “love”.

Unrequited Love.

Unrequited love is one of the greatest pain and agony someone can experience. It’s funny how we tend to fall in love with someone that we can’t have, someone that is not meant to be with us.

For Jaemin, his unrequited love would be his childhood best friend, Lee Jeno. He doesn’t know why, when and how it happened. “Falling in love with your own best friend”, a cliche love story for everyone, but that’s how Jaemin’s love story is.

The way Jeno talks, the way his eyes turn into a crescent when he’s smiling, the way he’s being a dork and playful around him, but most importantly, the way Jeno would always be there for him whenever his feeling down and Jeno is there to lend a shoulder for him to cry on. Reasons for him to fall in love with Jeno is just limitless and it would take days for him to list all of it because Lee Jeno is the definition of “perfect”.

Na Jaemin’s gloomy day would turn into sunshine and rainbows when Lee Jeno is around. 

However, no matter how he wished and how much he hoped, it will just be an unrequited love that will stay unrequited.

\-----------------------------------------------

*FLASHBACK*

Jaemin was just laying on his bed, playing his phone in peace scrolling through his Twitter account when his best friend, Lee Jeno came into his room jumping excitedly like a child.

“Oh my god Jaemin, you would believe me, Renjun just asked me to be his partner for our arts project! I can’t believe that I’ll be his partner Jaem, like I get to be with my crush!!” Jeno squeals and screamed out of happiness.

“There he goes again,” Jaemin ponders as he watched his best friend being all giddy and happy.

“ Good for you man you can get close with him,” Jaemin responded with a smile.

“ I know right, and you know Renjun….” Jeno keep on babbling about him crush while Jaemin sits there listening like he always does, heart aching at how happy the older looked.

For the past five months, Jaemin had been hearing Jeno talking about his crush Huang Renjun every day.

Huang Renjun, a smart, kind hearted and not to mention, a very cute boy in Jeno’s class. He had just transferred to their university 5 months ago and that’s the start of how Jeno being head over heels for the boy.

When Jeno told him about his crush towards Renjun, Jaemin felt numb. He does not know what to feel, a part of him is heartbroken because the person he loves, likes someone else, but a part of him is glad to see Jeno happy even if it is not because of him. So he thought that to move on from his hopeless crush problem, he would help Jeno be together with his crush,Renjun. Though he knows. It’s going to hurt so much for him.

“Bye Nana, I’m going out with Renjun, we’ll be eating outside so you don’t have to wait for me, okay? Bye!” and with that Jeno went out, leaving Jaemin alone in their shared apartment.

“Well, guess I’ll be alone like always,” he shrugged.

It has been a month since Jeno and Renjun got close due to the arts project and that leads to why Jeno was always out and had left him all alone. Jeno would spend time with Renjun more than he would with the latter. As much as he was happy that Jeno is spending the time with his crush, Jaemin could not help but wished that Jeno would spend more time with him, like they always does ever since they were kids.

Friday night, where Jaemin and Jeno would spend their time together watching movies while cuddling. After a few movies, they were bored and decided to talk about school and things that they have been doing since they haven’t spent much time together.

“I can’t believe that we’ve become this close like I genuinely like Renjun, no screw that, I love him Nana,” Jeno said, eyes ever so sparkly.

“But, I love you too, can’t you see.” words remained unsaid as Jaemin just stares at the older with a small smile.

“Do you think I should confess to him?” Asked Jeno as turns to face his best friend.

“No, please don’t it will hurt me seeing you with someone else,” he monologized.

“Of course you should Jen, you’re like so whipped for him so I don’t see why not,” Jaemin tries to cover his sadness with a laugh.

“Do you think he would accept me? I’m afraid that he would reject me Jaem,” the older said, his eyes were full of hopes.

And that made Jaemin realized, “He really is in love with someone else.”

“Don’t worry Jen, you’re a great person and I don;t see a reason anyone would ever reject you,” Jaemin replied reassuring the older before continues,

“Hey, why don’t I help you to confess to Renjun? I mean I know a lot more romantic stuff more than you,” Jaemin smiled, masking all his sadness.

“Really!? Oh my god Jaem thank you so much I love you so much!” Jeno jumps excitedly, unable to see how broken the younger looked.

“I love you too, so so much that it hurts… If only you know how much I love you Jeno,” Jaemin just smile sadly seeing how happy the older is.

\-----------------------------------

There he is a week later, helping Jeno plan on how to confess to his crush,Renjun.

“I’m nervous Jaem, what if he rejects me? Jeno said in nervousness as tomorrow will be the day where he would confess his feelings to his crush.

“I’m sure he would like it! Look, you’ve prepared a lot, a beautiful song, a letter and not to mention the nice looking picnic basket,” Jaemin had convinced him for the hundredth times since they started planning.

“Yeah I really hope that he would accept me, thanks Jaem… oh and hey, when did you prepare this song and for whom, it’s really is beautiful,” Jeno questioned as he was curious about the song that Jaemin had prepared for him.

“Oh it’s for someone actually, but I don’t think I will be needing it anymore haha,” Jaemin responded, trying to be as nonchalant as possible, in contrast to his aching heart.

“Oh well, thank you Jaem for all of these I owe you one,” Jeno said as he smiles, eyes turns into crescent.

\-------------------------------

It’s the day, the day where on side would be happy with someone they love and the other side would be drowning in tears and heartbreak seeing the person they love with someone else. 

And yes, Na Jaemin would be the one who is drowning in the sea of heartbreak and misery, alone, with no one to help.

“Bye Nana, wish me luck! I love you best friend!” and with that last words, Jeno left the house.

“I love you too” again, the three words that he could not say out loud, three words that seem forbidden for his mouth to speak.

Jaemin went to his room and took out a small box that was in his closet and sat on his bed. He went through the box that had “Our memories Jen <3 Jaem” written on it. That small box held so many memories for both of them, from the day they became friends until these days.

As Jaemin went through the box, tears had fallen from his broken eyes to his pretty face. All the memories of them come flooding his mind, and that is enough to make him broke down into tears. 

“If only I could say those words to you, if only you would see how much you mean to me, if only you would know how much I’ve loved you, if only…” The question of “if only” make him so broken inside and out.

“I love you Jeno, I will always love you,” the words that he could only mutter to himself.

\-----------------------------------

A few hours later, Jeno had called him, “Hey Jaem!” he speaks through the phone.

“Hey” Jaemin replied quietly.

“Jaem, I just confessed and he said yes! He said he likes me too!” Jeno squeals in excitement.

On the other line, there he was, sitting on the bed, trying to control his tears from falling as he heard his excited friend. 

Jeno noticed the silence asked, “Hello Jaem, are you there?”

“Yeah yeah I’m here sorry I was just doing something,” Jaemin lied, voice broken and hoarse from all the crying.

“Hey you don’t sound good, are you okay?” The older asked, worries laced over his voice.

“No I’m not, it hurts so much Jeno,” Jaemin thought before lying again, “yeah I’m fine, just having a sore throat… Congrats anyways told you that you were worried for nothing.” Jaemin faked a laugh to cover his broken state.

“Thank you Jaem, I love you, well I have to go now Renjun is waiting for me, talk to you later, Bye!” Jeno said as he hangs up the call.

“I love you too, Jeno,” he muttered to himself, voice broken and tears comes flowing down his tears stained cheeks. He lay down on his bed and cries himself to sleep.

\-----------------------------------

When they said “sometimes you’re meant to fall in love with someone, but you are not meant to be with them,” Jaemin can relate to that. As painful as it may be, there is really nothing that he could do except to face the fact that he can only love Jeno from far apart.

Jeno would only be a beautiful but forbidden flower in his garden. A flower that he could only watch and love from far apart. Those three words that he wanted to say for so long could only stay deep in his heart.

What are those forbidden words that remained buried deep in his heart?

I love you.


End file.
